Organic light emitting diode display and method for manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

An organic light emitting diode display comprises a display substrate including an organic light emitting element, an encapsulation substrate disposed to face the display substrate, a sealant disposed between edges of the display substrate and the encapsulation substrate for bonding and sealing the display substrate and the encapsulation substrate together, a filler filling in a space between the display substrate and the encapsulation substrate, first spacers formed on one surface of the display substrate contacting the filler, and second spacers formed on one surface of the encapsulation substrate contacting the filler. The display substrate and the encapsulation substrate are divided into a dropping area and a spreading area surrounding the dropping area and positioned relatively close to the sealant, and either or both of the first spacers and the second spacers have different shapes in the dropping area and in the spreading area.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, andclaims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from an applicationearlier filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 21^(st)of Jul. 2009 and there duly assigned Serial No. 10-2009-0066525.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an organic light emittingdiode display and a method for manufacturing the same and, moreparticularly, to an organic light emitting diode display which improvesdurability and suppresses the generation of defects, and a method formanufacturing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays have a self-emissivecharacteristic. Therefore, unlike liquid crystal displays, OLED displaysdo not require a separate light source, and thus their thickness andweight can be reduced. Furthermore, OLED displays have a variety ofdesirable properties, such as low power consumption, high luminance,quick response, and the like. Therefore, OLED displays are drawingattention as upcoming alternative displays for portable electronicdevices.

In general, an organic light emitting display includes a displaysubstrate having an organic light emitting element, an encapsulationsubstrate disposed to face the display substrate and covering theorganic light emitting element of the display substrate, and a sealantfor bonding and sealing the display substrate and the encapsulationsubstrate display substrate together. However, the mechanical strengthof the organic light emitting diode display is weak due to the presenceof a void between the display substrate and the encapsulation substrate.

To solve this problem, a filler is filled in the space between thedisplay substrate and the encapsulation substrate by a vacuum bondingmethod to thereby improve durability against external impact.

However, if the space between the display substrate and theencapsulation substrate is filled with a filler, the filler comes incontact with the sealant formed along edges of the display substrate andencapsulation substrate. In this procedure, the filler exerts a negativeeffect on the curing process of the sealant to thereby make the sealantdefective. Therefore, the sealant cannot stably bond and seal thedisplay substrate and the encapsulation substrate.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only forenhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, andtherefore it may contain information that does not form the prior artwhich is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill inthe art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The described technology has been made in an effort to solve theabove-mentioned problems occurring in the background art, and to providean organic light emitting diode display which stably improves durabilityand suppresses the generation of defects.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for manufacturingthe above organic light emitting diode display.

An organic light emitting diode display according to an exemplaryembodiment comprises: a display substrate including an organic lightemitting element; an encapsulation substrate disposed to face thedisplay substrate; a sealant disposed between edges of the displaysubstrate and the encapsulation substrate for bonding and sealing thedisplay substrate and the encapsulation substrate together; a fillerfilling in a space between the display substrate and the encapsulationsubstrate; first spacers formed on one surface of the display substratecontacting the filler; and second spacers formed on one surface of theencapsulation substrate contacting the filler; wherein the displaysubstrate and the encapsulation substrate are divided into a droppingarea and a spreading area surrounding the dropping area and positionedrelatively close to the sealant, and either or both of the first spacersand the second spacers have different shapes in the dropping area and inthe spreading area.

The filler may be dropped first in the dropping area and spread out tothe spreading area.

The first spacers and the second spacers may each be formed as a bartype with a length in a direction parallel to the display substrate andthe encapsulation substrate, respectively, and the first spacers and thesecond spacers may be arranged in directions crossing each other.

The second spacers may be longer in the dropping area than in thespreading area.

The first spacers may be longer in the dropping area than in thespreading area.

The first spacers and the second spacers may be longer in the droppingarea than in the spreading area.

Either or both of the first spacers and the second spacers formed in thespreading area may become gradually shorter from the dropping area.

A pair of first spacers and a pair of second spacers may be arranged ina rectangular shape in the dropping area, and the middle portion of thesecond spacer may be positioned between a pair of the first spacersneighboring in a longitudinal direction in the spreading area.

The organic light emitting element of the display substrate may displayan image through a plurality of pixels emitting light, and the firstspacers may be arranged in parallel with the short sides of pixels andthe second spacers may be arranged in parallel with the long sides ofthe pixels.

The first spacers may have a length that is less than or equal to thatof the short sides of pixels, and the second spacers may have a lengththat is less than or equal to that of the long sides of the pixels.

Furthermore, a method for manufacturing an organic light emitting diodedisplay comprises: forming first spacers on a display substrate; formingsecond spacers on an encapsulation substrate; forming a sealant on edgesof either or both of the display substrate and the encapsulationsubstrate; dropping a filler on any one of the display substrate and theencapsulation substrate; and bonding the display substrate and theencapsulation substrate together with the sealant and the fillerinterposed therebetween; wherein the display substrate and theencapsulation substrate are divided into a dropping area and a spreadingarea surrounding the dropping area and positioned relatively close tothe sealant, either or both of the first spacers and the second spacershave different shapes in the dropping area and in the spreading area,and the filler is dropped in the dropping area and spread out to thespreading area along with the bonding of the display substrate and theencapsulation substrate.

The first spacers and the second spacers may each be formed as a bartype with a length in a direction parallel to the display substrate andthe encapsulation substrate, respectively, and the first spacers and thesecond spacers may be arranged in directions crossing each other.

The second spacers may be longer in the dropping area than in thespreading area.

The first spacers may be longer in the dropping area than in thespreading area.

The first spacers and the second spacers may be longer in the droppingarea than in the spreading area.

Either or both of the first spacers and the second spacers formed in thespreading area may become gradually shorter from the dropping area.

A pair of first spacers and a pair of second spacers may be arranged ina rectangular shape in the dropping area, and the middle portion of thesecond spacer may be positioned between a pair of the first spacersneighboring in a longitudinal direction in the spreading area.

The organic light emitting element of the display substrate may displayan image through a plurality of pixels emitting light, and the firstspacers may be arranged in parallel with the short sides of pixels andthe second spacers may be arranged in parallel with the long sides ofthe pixels.

The first spacers may have a length that is less than or equal to thatof the short sides of pixels, and the second spacers may have a lengththat is less than or equal to that of the long sides of the pixels.

The method may further include curing the sealant in a state in whichthe display substrate and the encapsulation substrate are bondedtogether.

According to the present invention, the organic light emitting diodedisplay can stably improve durability against impact and effectivelysuppress the generation of a defective sealed condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendantadvantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which likereference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an organic light emitting diodedisplay according to a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the organic light emitting diode displayof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a manufacturingprocess of the organic light emitting diode display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged layout view showing an internal structure of theorganic light emitting diode display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a third exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a fourth exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a fifth exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments will be described in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in theart can readily carry out the invention. As those skilled in the artwill realize, the described embodiments may be modified in variousdifferent ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of thepresent invention.

For various exemplary embodiments, constituent elements having the sameconstitution are designated by the same reference numerals and areexplained representatively in the first exemplary embodiment. In theother exemplary embodiments, only constituent elements that aredifferent from those of the first exemplary embodiment are described.

In order to clarify the present invention, parts that are not related todescriptions are omitted, and the same or similar elements are given thesame reference numerals throughout the specification.

Furthermore, the sizes and thicknesses of the elements shown in thedrawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description, and thusthe present invention is not necessarily limited to the illustratedones.

In the drawings, thicknesses are magnified in order to clearly depictthe plurality of layers and regions. In the drawings, the thickness ofsome of the layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. It will beunderstood that, when an element such as a layer, film, region, orsubstrate is referred to as being “on” another element, it can bedirectly on the other element or intervening elements may also bepresent.

In addition, in the attached drawings, although an active matrix (AM)type of organic light emitting diode display having a 2TR-1Capstructure, which includes two thin film transistors (TFTs) and onecapacitor for one pixel, is illustrated, the present invention is notlimited thereto. Accordingly, the organic light emitting diode displaymay include three or more TFTs and two or more capacitors in one pixel.The organic light emitting display may have various structures withadditional wiring. Here, a pixel refers to a minimum unit for displayingan image, and the organic light emitting diode display displays an imagethrough a plurality of pixels.

Hereinafter, a first exemplary embodiment will be described withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an organic light emitting diodedisplay according to a first exemplary embodiment and FIG. 2 is a planview showing the organic light emitting diode display of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, an organic light emitting diode display 101according to the first exemplary embodiment includes a display substrate110, an encapsulation substrate 210, a first spacer 310, a second spacer320, a sealant 350, and a filler 300.

The display substrate 110 includes a first substrate body 111, and adriving circuit DC and an organic light emitting element 70 formed onthe first substrate body 111.

The first substrate body 111 may be formed of an insulating substratemade of glass, quartz, ceramic, plastic, or the like. However, the firstexemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first substratebody 111 may be formed of a metallic substrate made of stainless steelor the like.

The driving circuit DC includes thin film transistors 10 and 20 (shownin FIG. 4), and drives the organic light emitting element 70. Theorganic light emitting element 70 emits light in accordance with adriving signal transmitted from the driving circuit DC to display animage.

Although detailed structures of the organic light emitting element 70and driving circuit DC are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first exemplaryembodiment is not limited to the structures illustrated in FIGS. 4 and5. The organic light emitting element 70 and the driving circuit DC maybe formed in various structures within the range in which those skilledin the art can readily make modifications.

The encapsulation substrate 210 is disposed to face the displaysubstrate 110, and covers the organic light emitting element 70 anddriving circuit DC of the display substrate 110. The encapsulationsubstrate 210 includes a second substrate body 211 formed of atransparent material such as glass, plastic, or the like.

The sealant 350 is disposed between edges of the display substrate 110and the encapsulation substrate 210 to bond and seal the displaysubstrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate 210 together. The sealant350 may be made of various known materials, and is cured by a methodsuch as heat curing or UV curing.

The filler 300 is disposed between the display substrate 110 and theencapsulation substrate 210 to fill a gap between the display substrate110 and the encapsulation substrate 210. Further, the filler 300 may bemade of a resin material, a liquid crystal material, or various otherknown materials.

The filler 300 improves the mechanical strength of the organic lightemitting diode display 101 by filling in a void between the displaysubstrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate 210. That is, the insideof the organic light emitting diode display 101 is filled with thefiller 300, thus improving durability against external impact.

First spacers 310 are formed on one surface of the display substrate 110contacting the filler 300. In addition, second spacers 320 are formed onone surface of the encapsulation substrate 210 contacting the filler300. The first spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 are formed in barshapes that have a length in a direction parallel to the displaysubstrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate 210, respectively. Inaddition, the first spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 are arrangedin directions crossing each other when the display substrate 110 and theencapsulation substrate 210 are bonded together.

In addition, an organic light emitting element 70 of the displaysubstrate 110 is disposed for each pixel to emit light. As shown in FIG.2, the display substrate 110 further includes a pixel defining film 190,and the pixel defining film 190 has a plurality of openings 199 defininga light emitting region of the organic light emitting element 70. Thatis, the organic light emitting element 70 emits light from a lightemitting layer 720 in the openings 199. Further, the first spacers 310are arranged in parallel with the short sides of pixels, and the secondspacers 320 are arranged in parallel with the long sides of the pixels.In other words, the first spacers 310 are disposed between the shortsides of neighboring pixels, and the second spacers 320 are disposedbetween the long sides of the neighboring pixels. However, the firstexemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. Therefore, the firstspacers 310 may be arranged in parallel with the long sides of pixels,and the second spacers 320 may be arranged in parallel with the shortside of the pixels.

In addition, the first spacers 310 have a length that is less than orequal to that of the short sides of pixels, and the second spacers 320have a length that is less than or equal to that of the long sides ofthe pixels.

In addition, the first spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 may bemade of various known materials, such as a polyacrylate resin, apolyimide resin, and an inorganic silica material.

In addition, the display substrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate210 are divided into a dropping area DA and a spreading area SAsurrounding the dropping area DA and positioned relatively close to thesealant 350. In the first exemplary embodiment, the length of the secondspacers 320 in a direction parallel to the encapsulation substrate 210is larger in the dropping area DA than in the spreading area SA. Thatis, the second spacers 322 of the spreading area SA are shorter than thesecond spacers 321 of the dropping area DA.

Additionally, a pair of first spacers 310 and a pair of second spacers320 may be arranged in a rectangular shape to surround a pixel.

In the process of bonding the display substrate 110 and theencapsulation substrate 210 together with the filler 300 interposedtherebetween, the filler 300 spreads out to the spreading area SA,starting from the dropping area DA at which the filler 300 is dropped atan initial stage. At this time, the first spacers 310 and second spacers320 of the dropping area DA control the spread and flow of the filler300. Particularly, the second spacers 321 of the dropping area DA arelonger than the second spacers 322 of the spreading area SA to therebysuppress the spread and flow of the filler 300 relatively more in thedropping area DA than in the spreading area SA. Further, as the secondspacers 322 of the spreading area SA are shorter than the second spacers321 of the dropping area DA, the filler 300 can be spread more smoothlyin the spreading area SA than in the dropping area DA. In this manner,the first spacers 310 and second spacers 320 of the dropping area DAserve as a dam for confining the filler 300 and suppress a negativeeffect on the curing process of the sealant 350 that is caused as thefiller 300 starting to be dropped first in the dropping area DA contactsthe sealant 350 too quickly.

In addition, the display substrate 110 is formed as a rectangle having apair of long sides and a pair of short sides. In the first exemplaryembodiment, the long sides of the pixels are disposed in parallel withthe short sides of the display substrate 110, and the short sides of thepixels are disposed in parallel with the long sides of the displaysubstrate 110. In other words, the first spacers 310 are arranged inparallel with the long sides of the display substrate 110, and thesecond spacers 320 are arranged in parallel with the short sides of thedisplay substrate 110.

Furthermore, since the dropping area DA is positioned at the center ofthe display substrate 110 formed in a rectangular shape, it takesdifferent times for the filler 300, starting to be dropped first in thedropping area DA and spread out, to reach the long sides and shortsides, respectively, of the display substrate 110. That is, the filler300 contacts the sealant 350 formed along the long sides earlier than itcontacts the sealant 350 formed along the short sides of the displaysubstrate 110. Therefore, the effect of the filler 300 on the curing ofthe sealing 350 becomes irregular, and this may cause a defective sealedcondition of the organic light emitting diode display 101.

However, in the first exemplary embodiment, the second spacers 320arranged in parallel with the short sides of the display substrate 110are longer in the dropping area DA than in the spreading area SA, andthe first spacers 310 have the same length in the spreading area SA andthe dropping area DA. Therefore, in the spreading area SA, the spreadingof the filler 300 in a direction (x-axis direction) parallel to the longsides of the display substrate) 10 is more dominant than the spreadingof the filler 300 in a direction (y-axis direction) parallel to theshort sides thereof. Here, the direction parallel to the long sides ofthe display substrate 110 refers to a direction facing the short sidesof the display substrate 110, and the direction parallel to the shortsides of the display substrate 110 refers to a direction facing the longsides of the display substrate 110. Herein, it is possible to reduce adifference between the times taken for the filler 300 starting to bedropped first in the dropping area DA and spread out to reach the longsides and short sides, respectively, of the display substrate 110. Inother words, it is possible to reduce a deviation between the timestaken for the filler 300 starting to be dropped first in the droppingarea DA to contact the sealant 350 formed on the short sides of thedisplay substrate 110 and the sealant 350 formed along the long sides ofthe sealant 350, respectively.

By this configuration, the organic light emitting diode display 101 canstably improve durability against impact and suppress the generation ofa defective sealed condition more effectively.

Moreover, in the organic light emitting diode display 101 according tothe first exemplary embodiment, the first spacers 310 and the secondspacers 320 serve to prevent the display substrate 110 and theencapsulation substrate 210 from contacting each other. Therefore, thefirst spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 have a height that isappropriate for the display substrate 110 and the encapsulationsubstrate 210 to maintain a stable gap. In the first exemplaryembodiment, the sum of the height of the first spacers 310 and theheight of the second spacers 320 is equal to the gap between the displaysubstrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate 210, as illustrated inFIG. 1. However, the first exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diodedisplay 101 according to the first exemplary embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a manufacturingprocess of the organic light emitting diode display of FIG. 1.

Initially, first spacers 310 are formed on a display substrate 110, andsecond spacers 320 are formed on an encapsulation substrate 210. Thefirst spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 are formed as a bar typethat have a length in a direction parallel to the display substrate 110and the encapsulation substrate 210, respectively. In addition, thefirst spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 are arranged in a directioncrossing each other when the display substrate 110 and the encapsulationsubstrate 210 are bonded together.

Concretely, when the display substrate 110 and the encapsulationsubstrate 210 are bonded together, the first spacers 310 are arranged inparallel with the short sides of pixels, i.e., the short sides ofopenings 199 of a pixel defining film 190 (shown in FIG. 2), and thesecond spacers 320 are arranged in parallel with the long sides of thepixels, i.e., the long sides of the openings 199 of the pixel definingfilm 190. At this time, the first spacers 310 have a length that is lessthan or equal to that of the short sides of the pixels, and the secondspacers 320 have a length that is less than or equal to that of the longsides of the pixels.

In addition, the display substrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate210 are divided into a dropping area DA and a spreading area SAsurrounding the dropping area DA. Further, the second spacers 320 areformed so as to be longer in the dropping area DA than in the spreadingarea SA.

Next, a sealant 350 is formed on the display substrate 110 along an edgeof the display substrate 110. The sealant 350 is disposed so as to beclose to the spreading area SA. The sealant 350 is not necessarilyformed on the display substrate 110, but may be formed on theencapsulation substrate 210.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a filler 300 is first dropped in the droppingarea DA, and then the filler 300 is spread out to the edges of bothsubstrates 110 and 210 while bonding the display substrate 110 and theencapsulation substrate 210 together. At this time, the first spacers310 and second spacers 320 positioned in the dropping area DA serve as adam for controlling the spreading of the filler 300. That is, the filler300 is delayed from contacting the sealant 350 as much as possible bythe first spacers 310 and second spacers 320 positioned in the droppingarea DA.

Conversely, the second spacers 322 of the spreading area SA are shorterthan the second spacers 321 of the dropping area DA, and this allows thefiller 300 to be spread smoothly in the spreading area SA.

In this manner, the first spacers 310 and second spacers 320 of thedropping area DA suppress the filler 300 from contacting the sealant3500 too quickly, thereby minimizing a negative effect of the filler 300on the curing process of the sealant 350.

In addition, the second spacers 322 of the spreading area SA have alength that is smaller than that of the second spacers 321 of thedropping area DA, and the first spacers 310 of the spreading area SA andthe first spacers 310 of the dropping area DA have the same length.Therefore, in the spreading area SA, the spreading of the filler 300 ina direction (x-axis direction) parallel to the long sides of the displaysubstrate 110 is more dominant than the spreading of the filler 300 in adirection (y-axis direction) parallel to the short sides thereof.Therefore, it is possible to reduce a deviation between the times thatit takes for the filler 300 starting to be dropped first in the droppingarea DA to contact the sealant 350 formed on the short sides of thedisplay substrate 110 and the sealant 350 formed along the long sides ofthe sealant 350, respectively.

Next, the sealant 350 is cured in a state in which the display substrate110 and the encapsulation substrate 210 are bonded together by a vacuumbonding method, with the sealant 350 and the filler 300 interposedtherebetween, to thereby completely seal the gap between the displaysubstrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate 210.

By this manufacturing method, the organic light emitting diode display101 can stably improve durability against impact and suppress thegeneration of a defective sealed condition more effectively.

Hereinafter, an internal structure of the organic light emitting diodedisplay 101 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged layout view showing an internal structure of theorganic light emitting diode display of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is across-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the display substrate 110 includes aswitching thin film transistor 10, a driving thin film transistor 20, acapacitor element 80, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) 70 thatare formed for each pixel. Here, a configuration which includes theswitching thin film transistor 10, the driving thin film transistor 20,and the capacitor element 80 is referred to as a driving circuit DC. Thedisplay substrate 110 further includes a gate line 151 disposed alongone direction, a data line 171 insulated from and crossing the gate line151, and a common power supply line 172. Here, one pixel may be definedby the gate line 151, the data line 171, and the common power supplyline 172, but it is not limited thereto.

The organic light emitting element 70 includes a pixel electrode 710, anorganic light emission layer 720 formed on the pixel electrode 710, anda common electrode 730 formed on the organic light emission layer 720.Here, the pixel electrode 710 is an anode (+) electrode which is a holeinjection electrode, and the common electrode 730 is a cathode (−)electrode which is an electron injection electrode. However, the firstexemplary embodiment is not necessarily limited thereto, and the pixelelectrode 710 may be a cathode electrode and the common electrode 730may be an anode electrode according to a driving method of the organiclight emitting diode display 101. Holes and electrons are respectivelyinjected from the pixel electrode 710 and the common electrode 730 intothe organic light emission layer 720. When excitons formed by combiningthe injected holes and electrons fall from an excited state to a groundstate, they emit light.

Further, in the organic light emitting diode display 101 according tothe first embodiment, the organic light emitting element 70 emits lightin the direction of the encapsulation substrate 210. That is, theorganic light emitting element 70 is of a front emission type. Here, inorder for the organic light emitting element 70 to emit light in thedirection of the encapsulation substrate 210, a reflection-typeelectrode is used as the pixel electrode 710 and a transmission-type orsemi-transmission-type electrode is used as the common electrode 730.However, in the first exemplary embodiment, the organic light emittingdiode display 101 is not limited to the front emission type.Accordingly, the organic light emitting diode display 101 may be of arear emission type or a both-direction emission type.

The capacitor element 80 includes a pair of capacitor plates 158 and 178disposed with an interlayer insulating layer 160 interposedtherebetween. Here, the interlayer insulating layer 160 is made of adielectric material. The capacitance is determined by an electric chargestored in the capacitor element 80 and a voltage between the capacitorplates 158 and 178.

The switching thin film transistor 10 includes a switching semiconductorlayer 131, a switching gate electrode 152, a switching source electrode173, and a switching drain electrode 174. The driving thin filmtransistor 20 includes a driving semiconductor layer 132, a driving gateelectrode 155, a driving source electrode 176, and a driving drainelectrode 177.

The switching thin film transistor 10 is used as a switching element toselect a pixel to emit light. The switching gate electrode 152 isconnected to the gate line 151. The switching source electrode 173 isconnected to the data line 171. The switching drain electrode 174 isspaced apart from the switching source electrode 173 and connected tothe capacitor plate 158.

The driving thin film transistor 20 applies driving power to the pixelelectrode 710 for allowing the organic light emission layer 720 of theorganic light emitting element 70 in a selected pixel to emit light. Thedriving gate electrode 155 is connected to the capacitor plate 158connected to the switching drain electrode 174. The driving sourceelectrode 176 and the other capacitor plate 178 are respectivelyconnected to the common power supply line 172. The driving drainelectrode 177 is connected to the pixel electrode 710 of the organiclight emitting element 70 via a contact hole 182.

By this structure, the switching thin film transistor 10 is operated bya gate voltage applied to the gate line 151, and serves to transmit adata voltage applied to the data line 171 to the driving thin filmtransistor 20. A voltage corresponding to the difference between acommon voltage applied to the driving thin film transistor 20 from thecommon power supply line 172 and the data voltage transmitted from theswitching thin film transistor 10 is stored in the capacitor element 80,and a current corresponding to the voltage stored in the capacitorelement 80 flows to the organic light emitting element 70 through thedriving thin film transistor 20 to thus make the organic light emittingelement 70 emit light.

As shown in FIG. 5, an encapsulation substrate 210 is disposed on theorganic light emitting element 70 to protect the organic light emittingelement 70.

Hereinafter, a second exemplary embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a second exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the organic light emitting diode display 102according to the second exemplary embodiment, the length of the firstspacers 310 in a direction parallel to the display substrate 110 islarger in the dropping area DA than in the spreading area SA. That is,the first spacers 311 of the dropping area DA are longer than the firstspacers 312 of the spreading area SA, and the second spacers 320 havethe same length in the spreading area SA and in the dropping area DA.

By this configuration, the organic light emitting diode display 102 canstably improve durability against impact and suppress the generation ofa defective sealed condition more effectively.

Further, the method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diodedisplay 102 according to the second exemplary embodiment is the same asthe method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diode display101 according to the first exemplary embodiment except that the firstspacers 310 are longer in the dropping area DA than in the spreadingarea SA, and the second spacers 320 have the same length in thespreading area SA and in the dropping area DA.

Hereinafter, a third exemplary embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a third exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the organic light emitting diode display 103according to the third exemplary embodiment, the lengths of the firstspacers 310 and the second spacers 320 in a direction parallel to thedisplay substrate 110 and the encapsulation substrate 210, respectively,are larger in the dropping area DA than in the spreading area SA.

That is, the first spacers 311 of the dropping area DA are longer thanthe first spacers 312 of the spreading area SA, and the second spacers321 of the dropping area DA are longer than the second spacers 322 ofthe spreading area SA.

By this configuration, the organic light emitting diode display 103 canstably improve durability against impact and suppress the generation ofa defective sealed condition more effectively.

Also, the method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diodedisplay 103 according to the third exemplary embodiment is the same asthe method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diode display101 according to the first exemplary embodiment, except that both thefirst spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 are longer in the droppingarea DA than in the spreading area SA.

Hereinafter, a fourth exemplary embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a fourth exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, either or both of the first spacers 310 and thesecond spacers 320 become gradually shorter toward the spreading area SAfrom the dropping area DA.

In FIG. 8, the length of the second spacers 321 in a direction parallelto the encapsulation substrate 210 is larger in the dropping area DAthan in the spreading area SA, and the second spacers 320 of thespreading area SA become gradually shorter from the dropping area DA.That is, the second spacers 321 of the dropping area DA are the longest,and the second spacers 324 of the spreading area SA become graduallyshorter from the dropping area DA. However, the present invention is notlimited thereto. Accordingly, the first spacers 310 may be longer in thedropping area DA than in the spreading area SA, and the first spacers310 of the spreading area SA may become gradually shorter from thedropping area DA. Also, both of the first spacers 310 and the secondspacers 320 may become gradually shorter toward the spreading area SAfrom the dropping area DA.

By this configuration, the organic light emitting diode display 104 canstably improve durability against impact and suppress the generation ofa defective sealed condition more effectively.

Also, the method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diodedisplay 104 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment is the same asthe method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diode display101 according to the first exemplary embodiment, except that either orboth the first spacers 310 and the second spacers 320 become graduallyshorter toward the spreading area SA from the dropping area DA.

Hereinafter, a fifth exemplary embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an organic light emitting diode displayaccording to a fifth exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of first spacers 310 and a pair of secondspacers 321 are arranged in a rectangular shape in the dropping area DAof an organic light emitting diode display 105 according to the fifthexemplary embodiment, and the middle portion of a second spacer 325 ispositioned between a pair of the first spacers 310 neighboring in alongitudinal direction in the spreading area SA.

That is, while the first spacers 310 and the second spacers 321 in thedropping area DA serve as a dam for controlling the flow of a filler,the second spacers 325 in the spreading area SA have an open structureso as to facilitate the flow of the filler.

Therefore, in the spreading area SA, the spreading of the filler 300 ina direction (x-axis direction) parallel to the long sides of the displaysubstrate) 10 is more dominant than the spreading of the filler 300 in adirection (y-axis direction) parallel to the short sides thereof.Herein, it is possible to reduce a difference between the times that ittakes for the filler 300 starting to be dropped first in the droppingarea DA and spread out to reach the long sides and short sides,respectively, of the display substrate 110. In other words, it ispossible to reduce a deviation between the times that it takes for thefiller 300 starting to be dropped first in the dropping area DA tocontact the sealant 350 formed on the short sides of the displaysubstrate 110 and the sealant 350 formed along the long sides of thesealant 350, respectively.

Additionally, by this configuration, the organic light emitting diodedisplay 104 can stably improve durability against impact and suppressthe generation of a defective sealed condition more effectively.

Also, the method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diodedisplay 105 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment is the same asthe method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diode display101 according to the first exemplary embodiment, except that the middleportion of the second spacer 325 is positioned between a pair of thefirst spacers 310 neighboring in a longitudinal direction in thespreading area SA.

While this disclosure has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An organic light emitting diode display device,comprising: a display substrate including an organic light emittingelement; an encapsulation substrate disposed to face the displaysubstrate; a sealant disposed between edges of the display substrate andthe encapsulation substrate for bonding and sealing the displaysubstrate and the encapsulation substrate together; a filler for fillingin a space between the display substrate and the encapsulationsubstrate; first spacers formed on one surface of the display substrateand contacting the filler; and second spacers formed on one surface ofthe encapsulation substrate and contacting the filler, the displaysubstrate and the encapsulation substrate being divided into a droppingarea and a spreading area surrounding the dropping area and positionedrelatively close to the sealant, and a shape of at least one of thefirst spacers and the second spacers in the dropping area beingdifferent from a shape of said at least one of the first spacers and thesecond spacers in the spreading area.
 2. The organic light emittingdiode display device of claim 1, wherein the filler is dropped first inthe dropping area and spread out to the spreading area.
 3. The organiclight emitting diode display device of claim 1, wherein the secondspacers are longer in the dropping area than in the spreading area. 4.The organic light emitting diode display device of claim 1, wherein thefirst spacers are longer in the dropping area than in the spreadingarea.
 5. The organic light emitting diode display device of claim 1,wherein the first spacers and the second spacers are longer in thedropping area than in the spreading area.
 6. The organic light emittingdiode display device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the firstspacers and the second spacers formed in the spreading area becomegradually shorter from the dropping area.
 7. The organic light emittingdiode display device of claim 1, wherein a pair of first spacers and apair of second spacers are arranged in a rectangular shape in thedropping area, and a middle portion of the second spacer is positionedbetween a pair of the first spacers neighboring in a longitudinaldirection in the spreading area.
 8. The organic light emitting diodedisplay device of claim 1, wherein the organic light emitting element ofthe display substrate displays an image through a plurality of pixelsemitting light, and the first spacers are arranged in parallel withshort sides of pixels and the second spacers are arranged in parallelwith long sides of the pixels.
 9. The organic light emitting diodedisplay device of claim 8, wherein the first spacers have a length thatis no greater than a length of the short sides of pixels, and the secondspacers have a length that is no greater than a length of the long sidesof the pixels.
 10. An organic light emitting diode display device,comprising: a display substrate including an organic light emittingelement; an encapsulation substrate disposed to face the displaysubstrate; a sealant disposed between edges of the display substrate andthe encapsulation substrate for bonding and sealing the displaysubstrate and the encapsulation substrate together; a filler for fillingin a space between the display substrate and the encapsulationsubstrate; first spacers formed on one surface of the display substrateand contacting the filler; and second spacers formed on one surface ofthe encapsulation substrate and contacting the filler; wherein each ofthe first spacers and the second spacers is formed as a bar type with alength in a direction parallel to the display substrate and theencapsulation substrate, respectively, and the first spacers and thesecond spacers are arranged in directions crossing each other.